Moving Onto the Last Section…

1. Psych 125Human DevelopmentChristopher GadeOffice: 1031-GOffice hours: Tu 12-1:30 and by apt.Email: gadecj@gmail.comClass: T 1:30-4:20 Room 2210

2. Moving Onto the Last Section… • In this class, we’re covering development in three different sections • Physical based lifespan development • Cognitive based lifespan development • Socioemotional based lifespan development

3. Socioemotional Processes • Emotional Development • Personality and Identity Development • Sexuality and Gender Identity Development • Moral and Spiritual Development

4. Today’s Topic: Emotions and Development • Emotion – a psychophysiological state of mind resulting from an interaction between an individual and their internal/external environment • Critical in social interaction and the formation and severance of bonds • Can be positive or negative in valence • Manifests in a variety of forms (joy, fear, sadness, etc.) • Exists in a variety of arousal levels (subtle  strong) • Impacts and relates to physiological levels of arousal • Often changes behavior but behaviors can also change emotions

5. The Nature and Nurture of Emotions • Emotions seem to be something that’s ingrained within our biology • Brain regions dedicated to emotions • Amygdala, frontal lobe, and hippocampus • Physiological systems that directly react to various emotions • Vagus nerve • Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

7. The Nature and Nurture of Emotions • Emotions also appear to be impacted by the social world • Findings with infant behavior and adult interaction • Cultural studies on displays of and regulation of emotions • A side note on cultural research on emotions…

8. Goldberg’s Discrete Emotions Approach • In order to test the biological inevitability of emotions psychologists argue that these emotions need to meet specific criteria • Should emerge early in life, before one has had much experience • Should be similar across cultures (i.e. universal) • Should have its own biological signature, and perhaps facial expression

9. How Do We “Develop” Emotions • Our range of emotional expression • Our recognition of emotions • Within ourselves • Within others • Our ability to control our emotions • Our regulation of our emotion-related behaviors • Our ability to recognize the impact of our emotions and emotion-related behaviors • Our own • Others

10. Emotional Development Across the Lifespan • Infancy • Primary emotions – the six basic emotions appear to be in tact at birth • Joy, anger, sadness, fear, surprise, and disgust • Self-conscious emotions – emotions that require self-awareness. These develop between ages 1 and 2 • Empathy, jealousy, embarrassment, pride, shame, guilt • Emotional attachments also begin to form

11. Expressing Emotions As An Infant • Infant emotional output is dominated by two discrete emotion behaviors • Crying – an expression of sadness or discontent that an infant naturally expresses at birth • Basic cry – rhythmic pattern of crying that usually displays basic needs (hunger, exhaustion, fatigue) • Anger cry – basic cry with more air passed through the lungs • Pain cry – loud cry mixed with holding of breath • Smiling – an expression of happiness or content that an infant naturally expresses at birth • Reflexive smile – uncontrolled reflex that exists at birth • Social smile – results from stimuli or social anticipation; develops greater frequency and complexity with age

12. Emotional Abilities in Infancy • Limited range of emotional expression • Minimal recognition of emotions within themselves • Little to no recognition of emotions in others • Little to no ability to control emotions • Little to no ability to regulate emotion-related behaviors • No ability to recognize the impact of emotions and emotion-related behaviors on others

13. Emotional Development Across the Lifespan • Childhood • Greater complexity in emotions (self-conscious emotions) • Greater recognition of situations that might incur emotions • Better recognition of emotions in others • Slightly better control of emotions and emotional reactions • Delay of Gratification Study • Experience of stressors can be controlled, but excessive stress at this stage can cause emotional problems in adolescence and beyond

14. Emotional Development Across the Lifespan • Adolescence • Increases in emotional range • Increase in negative emotions • Physiological cause • Social factor causes • Recognition of emotions within themselves • Some ability to recognize emotions in others • Limited ability to control emotions • Little ability to regulate emotion-related behaviors • Growing recognition of the impact of emotion-related behaviors on others

15. Emotional Development Across the Lifespan • Adulthood • A large range of emotional skills and complexity exist across adults • EQ • As we age, most people tend to pursue social environments that produce more stable and positive emotional states • Socioemotional selectivity theory – as we age, we select social networks that are more positive and spend more time with familiar individuals

17. Looking Closer at Individual Differences • Temperament – an individual’s behavioral style and way of responding with respect to emotions • Temperament in childhood (Chess and Thomas) • Easy child – positive reactions, adapts routines, and adapts to new experiences • Difficult child – negative reactions, irregular routines, slow to adapt to new experiences • Slow-to-warm-up child – low activity, and minimal (somewhat negative) reactions • Undefined child – fits none of the qualifications

18. The Impact of Early Temperament • Temperament in childhood and adulthood can be measured in three dimensions (Rothbart and Bates) • Extraversion/surgency – positive interaction, anticipation, and sensation seeking • Negative affectivity – proclivity for negative responses and distress • Self regulation – ability to recognize emotions and soothing abilities to regulate emotions • It can also be described as inhibited or uninhibited • video • Childhood temperament often carries over into adulthood • A continuation of Mischel’sdelay of gratification work

19. Where Does Temperament Come From? • Biology • Studies with amygdala activity and temperament • Sibling studies (heritability) • Environment • Activity level studies (4 years21 years) • Cultural studies on temperament • Parenting studies and “goodness of fit”

20. Other Developments ofEmotion and Temperament • Gaze following • Theory of mind • Social referencing – the ability to detect the emotion of others and other cues in order to determine how to appropriately act in a situation • Attachment – the ability to form an emotional bond between individuals • Harry Harlow’s work in the importance of physical comfort (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsA5Sec6dAI)

21. Attachment Differences in Infants • Mary Ainsworth’s work with the “strange situation” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GI_1PBQpM • Securely attached – close attachment to primary caregiver, stressed when caregiver leaves, and relieved when caregiver returns (over 50%) • Insecure avoidant attached – weak attachment to primary caregiver, unbothered when caregiver leaves, and uncaring when caregiver returns • Insecure resistant attached – close but tumultuous relationship with primary caregiver, upset when caregiver leaves, and angry when caregiver returns • Insecure disorganized – fearful in all conditions • Linked to parenting styles • Long-term implications?

22. Attachment in Later Years • In adolescence, our attachment types and their manifestations undergo a slight change • Objects of attachment and attachment types with extend beyond the parents/primary caregiver • New classifications of attachment types emerge • Secure-autonomous (securely attached) • Dismissing-avoidant attachment (insecure-avoidant) • Preoccupied-ambivalent attachment – attachment seeking mixed with anger and conflict • Unresolved-disorganized attachment – fear based attachment seeking • Attachment types predict a number of health related behaviors (sexual activity, drug use, etc.)

23. Attachment in Adulthood • Attachment styles in adulthood closely resemble those that we see in infancy • Secure • Anxious • Avoidant • Securely attached individuals tend to describe securely attached upbringings, but longitudinal studies don’t show as much correlation • Traumatic and difficult experiences in life are usually much better predictors of adult attachment than childhood attachment styles • Attachment styles are fairly consistent once we reach adulthood, but can occasionally change

24. Reviewing Emotions and Attachment • Our emotions, our temperament, and our attachment styles are constantly evolving over time • As we grow, we become more complex in this area • As we age, we also become more set in our emotional, temperamental, and attachment styles/abilities • Two good predictors of these three at adulthood are the three at a younger age and stressful/traumatic experiences

25. Onto the Next Class… • In the next class we’ll look at personality and identity development (chapter 11) • Try to read the chapter before we meet at that time